Prehistory means literally "before history", from the Latin word for "before," præ, and Greekιστορία. Human prehistory is the period from the time that behaviorally and anatomically modern humans first appear until the appearance of recorded history following the invention of writing systems. Since both the time of settlement of modern humans and the evolution of human civilisations, differ from region to region, prehistory starts and ends at different moments in time, depending on the region concerned.
Sumer in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt were the first civilisations to develop their own scripts, and to keep historical records; this took place already during the early Bronze Age. The neighbouring civilisations of the Ancient Middle East were the first to follow. Most other civilisations reached the end of prehistory during the Iron Age.
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This article is concerned with human prehistory, or the time since behaviorally and anatomically modern humans first appear until the beginning of recorded history. There are separate articles for the overall history of the Earth and the history of life before humans.
A young man who grew up in a network of prehistoric caves owned by his parents is now running them as a tourist attraction ... Mr Bowerman, a University of Liverpool science graduate, said ... Stump Cross Caverns, SWNS ... He said ... Join the conversation ... X Icon ... .
By ElizabethHunter A young man who grew up in a network of prehistoric caves owned by his parents is now running them as a tourist attraction. Oliver Bowerman, 26, spent his childhood playing in a series of underground caves ....
PREHISTORIC TARGETS Frank Provenzano, visiting Bentonville from Dallas, pulls arrows from a dinosaur target Saturday Jan. 4 2025 at The QuiverArcheryRange at OsagePark in Bentonville.
Tools used by hominins in northern Israel show earliest known evidence of plant processing for consumption, chipping away at theory that our ancestors relied mainly on meat ....
By Oliver Chaseling, ABC. Scientists have discovered a new species of prehistoric turtle from what was once a lush forest in Central Australia, after re-examining an unidentified fossil on display in the Northern Territory's largest museum ... - ABC ....
A.Romilio / University of QueenslandAn artist’s impression of the Batrachopus grandis[/caption] ... The prehistoric footprints have been perfectly preserved after being made in what scientists believe was the muddy ground surrounding a lake.